Page talk:Novalis Schriften - Volume 2.djvu/163

Lebenstag; Der erste Tag

Fragment 19 plays Der erste Tag in contrast to Lebenstag. The definition in Grimm's Deutche Wörterbuch defines "Lebenstag" as "mühselig vergange lebenstage", or the laborious bygone days of life. In contrast, "Der erste Tag" implies, the first day on the job when everything is new and unknown. To reflect this contrast, "Der erste Tag" was translated as the somewhat informal day one and Lebenstag as an ordinary day in the life.